Alot to Take In...

Alot has happened to me in the past week ~ first and foremost, a very special and enlightening Confession last Saturday just before the evening Holy Mass...and someday soon I may write about Fr. Val and what wisdom he passes on at each meeting. Then to take in all the new changes in our parish church ~ renovated and re-dedicated last Sunday ~ and absolutely gorgeous to behold!
I was unable to attend the dedication, as my Sunday turned out to be quite an adventure...
I was leaving the house @ about 10:00 am, to take our daughter Julia to her job, I slipped on the ice and broke my R leg, both tibia and fibula broken clean through...I had actually been planning to stay indoors, and had no plan to attend anyway (the weather was horrible), but I ended up spending the entire week in the hospital ~ two surgeries later ~ and am now sitting with a boot on my leg/foot, and strict orders to bear no weight for the next two months.
And through the entire thing all that kept running through my head was this:
I had told my husband Mike that I was looking for a special way to offer my Lent, to make it more than it had ever been before, to give to Our Lord just one small thing every day...either the same thing over and over again, or something different each day.
Well, as I sit here, watching a movie and my leg propped up on pillows (securely clad in a boot-cast) I think I have found the very thing!
A broken bone is nothing like I ever thought it would be ~ it certainly doesn't hurt like I would have expected ~ but to have to undergo two serious surgeries, to be transported in two ambulances, to endure an x-ray technician who was actually quite brutally oblivious to the pain I was feeling, and all the rest of it ~ I can certainly sympathize with anyone who feels more pain in their own lives than they think they can handle.
I know that Our Lord permits things to happen to us to test our Faith, to grant us opportunities to gain graces for our own souls or for others', and to bring us closer to Himself. I can honestly say that I have been grateful for this chance to offer a simple suffering for what ever intentions He might like from me...and to ask Our Lady to purify my own sacrifice with the goodness of Her Immaculate Heart so as to present it to His Sacred Heart, both purified and worthy.
As I lay there on my back on the icy sidewalk, I knew instantly that my leg was broken...my foot was actually at such a strange angle that it was obvious...and it seemed that it was going to be a very pain-filled afternoon.
In the first ER, at our nearest hospital, I was seen by a bone specialist who was more of a sports surgeon, and others ~ most notably the x-ray tech who had been told to take about 10 pictures. The only problem here was the fact that she had no one to help her move me to the table, so she was forced to hold the gurney while I slid myself over alone...and then as she moved my leg about for various poses, holding up my leg or my foot, but never both at the same time (much more supportive) and finally giving up taking any more angles than about 5 or 6.
And as an added sacrifice, to lie on the table while the first surgeon held my leg at a straighter angle, giving me a bit of on-the-spot traction.
Finally, we were told that I would be transferred to another hospital on the other side of town, where the bone trauma specialists are among the best in the state. So, off again, and into my first surgery that very night...to attach an external fixator, while they waited for the swelling to go down.
Then, on Wednesday, I was once again taken in for the surgery that was to repair the bones at last...and a steel rod and two plates later, here I am.
I am only posting about this here, in my Catholic Blog, to show that Our dearest Lord, in His infinite wisdom and kindness, has once again visited me in my daily life, having heard my prayer to be able to make this a very special Lent.
I probably won't be able to attend Friday night Stations, or make extra visits to Him in the Blessed Sacrament ~ at least not until I figure out how to get in and out of the house ~ but for the suffering and for the opportunities for prayers of gratitude to Him for this mercy, I am most happy to respond...
And I can only hope in my heart that He will continue to show such goodness to me, a poor, sinful soul...who does not deserve more than His justice, but who is happy to accept His mercy as a sign to myself that He is indeed attentive to my prayers, and my wanting to please Him and only Him.